Capturing daily life in Bianjing (today’s Kaifeng), Along the River During the Qingming Festival by Song Dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan is one of the ten most famous paintings in China. Successive scenes reveal all levels of society from rich to poor, as well as activities in the countryside and the city, with period clothing and architecture.
It was also the basis for a recent concert performed by Chinese violinist Song Fei in Beijing, where an Alcons Audio system delivered the sound.
Song Fei is widely hailed as leading a new generation of talented female violin players, dubbed ‘leader in Chinese folk music’ and ‘Chinese erhu Queen’. Her Along the River During the Qingming Festival musical performance used music and image to create an authentic spectacle at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. Combining these audio and visual elements without disturbing the show’s aesthetic was the first consideration of the director.
‘The Alcons QR24 pro-ribbon line-source column is especially suitable for these kinds of performances in theatres, as its low profile does not affect the decoration of the stage scenery,’ says Chief Sound Designer, Mr Tian
A total of 12 Alcons QR24 pro-ribbon array columns and four Alcons BF362 subwoofers were used to cover the auditorium. The QR24 comprises four 6.5-inch woofers with two proprietary 12-inch RBN1203 pro-ribbon tweeters, while the BF362 features double 18-inch woofers in X-venting configuration. All of the speaker systems were driven by Alcons Sentinel 10 four-channel DSP controllers, with 192kHz AES3 inputs.
‘When I set up an Alcons sound system, the only thing I need to do is to recall the right factory setting in the processor and what I get is crystal-clear sound without any EQ or adjustment needed,’ Mr Tian says. ‘The coverage angle of this speaker is so well controlled that it offers a flat SPL throughout the audience, while also reducing the disturbance to the artists on stage hugely.’
As general director of the musical, Miss Chen, also returned a high evaluation of the sound of the speaker system and excellent feedback from the audience.
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